


Silent Slumber

by kissedbydragonfire



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Based on the movie, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Humor, Mutual Pining, Some angst, Tons of movie quotes, While You Were Sleeping AU, fake engagement, garcy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-09 04:28:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20496749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kissedbydragonfire/pseuds/kissedbydragonfire
Summary: Based off the movie "While You Were Sleeping." Set in 1990's Chicago, Illinois.Lucy Preston meets the man of her dreams. She saves him from certain death, but the hospital won't let her see him. A nurse misunderstands a comment of Lucy's and thinks she's this man's fiancée. Lucy finds herself thrust into a precarious situation with the man's family. After getting to know the family a little bit, Lucy finds that she doesn't want out of this fake relationship. She's been alone for too long and cannot let go of this feeling of belonging. Things get even more complicated when she starts to fall for the man's brother. How long will she keep up the farce?





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This movie was on a while back and even though it's completely ridiculous, I've always had a soft spot for it. When I watched it again, I got major Garcy vibes and then my brain ran with it. Hope you all enjoy. :-)

Lucy is a lot like her father; a romantic at heart. When she was little, he would tell her over and over again about the first time he met her mother and the fact that it was love at first sight. Her father also used to tell her that life doesn’t always work out the way you plan. She didn’t realize it at the time, no child of that young age would, but he was talking about her life.

Boy, was he ever right. Nothing Lucy has planned for her life has worked out. She figured she’d be married by now, have a family of her own, a good job and a college degree. She has none of those things, unless you count her cat as a child (which she does sometimes, but will never admit to anyone else).

When her father got sick, they moved to Chicago so that he could undergo an experimental treatment for his cancer. Unfortunately, this also meant Lucy would have to drop out of school and find a job, because fighting cancer is not a cheap enterprise. So, she took a job at the Chicago Transportation Authority, or CTA for short. It isn’t glamorous, but it pays the bills. _At least she’s eligible for overtime and holiday pay._ Lucy took full advantage of both, since she’s a little light in the friends and family department.

When her father passes away two years ago, she suddenly finds herself all alone. Her mother died when she was a toddler, her only memories of her through her father’s stories or photos. She’s an only child and has no living grandparents. She has a few friends from work, mostly her boss, Rufus, and another toll-taker, Jiya. So, she does what she feels most people do when they’re lonely, but not in the right space to dive into a relationship. She gets a pet, a cat to be exact. Of course, Lucy doesn’t just pick one up at the pet store. She _has_ to rescue one. So, she searches high and low throughout the city shelters, and winds up picking out an orange tabby, who she names “Lincoln” after her favorite president.

Lincoln is great company for quite a while, especially while she’s grieving her father. As her broken heart begins to mend, Lucy craves human connection and friendship again. So, as great of company Lincoln is, she decides to _try_ to put herself back out there. Big mistake. The series of dates she initially goes on are all total failures, and slowly but surely, she retreats to the safety of her cat and couch.

She lingers through her life like that for over a year, stuck in a rut, clouded by darkened skies. Then, one September day, the skies part with radiant sunlight and she knows exactly how her father felt when he met her mother. It’s love at first sight. 

She’s in her tollbooth as normal, when she sees him. The world stops when she does. He is…perfect in every way; tall, dark and _very_ handsome indeed. Standing at least six foot two, he’s thin, yet muscular, his hair black as midnight. He’s dressed in a tailored suit, so she knows he’s some sort of professional, and most likely _way_ out of her league. Unfortunately, he steps onto the train and disappears from her view.

The next day, she is more vigilant than ever about keeping an eye out for him. She spots him and plasters on her best smile, as he slides his token through the slot and keeps on moving. This time though, he loiters close to her booth waiting for the next train to arrive. She can clearly see his gorgeous, green eyes and dynamite smile. By the stares of a few women standing on the platform, she’s not the only one who does. The train arrives and her ray of sunshine boards the train and the clouds roll back in. 

Like clockwork, this pattern happens day in and day out. She starts to pick up some of his little quirks and habits, including giving up his seat on the train every single day. Some days, it’s for an elderly man or woman, sometimes a young mother and her child, sometimes it’s just a woman in general. He’s been smiling directly at her for the last week straight, and Lucy has been slowly working up the courage to actually say _something_ to the man she dreams of marrying. Instead, she freezes every time and probably is making some ridiculous face while she does so. _Why is she so awkward?_ Still, she convinces herself that one day she will speak to her Prince Charming. _One day._

** _December_ **

The only reason she actually gets a Christmas tree is because she knows her father would want her to. So, she treks out to the tree lot a few blocks from her apartment. She doesn’t buy a large tree, but of course the stupid lot doesn’t deliver. Lucy carries the tree as far as she can, but she still winds up dragging it the last two blocks to the apartment. She lives on the second floor and the stairs are narrow and steep. She cannot do this on her own, unless…

She ties some rope to the tree and stands at her window hoisting it up. She gets the tree to her window, but can’t quite seem to get it through all the way. She tries to brace the rope with her feet and grab the tree, but the rope slips and the tree falls back down into the courtyard and through her downstairs neighbor’s window. Her downstairs neighbor also happens to be her landlord. _She is such a klutz._

Lucy takes a deep breath and makes her way downstairs. She’s about to knock on the door when it opens and Mr. Logan greets her with a frown.

“Mr. Logan!”

“Lucy, how many times have I told you to call me Sherman, huh?”

Sherman Logan, her aforementioned landlord, is a sweet, older man who has become a surrogate father, in a way, for Lucy. He’s always been kind to her, but was especially kind when her father passed. 

“Come in, come in,” he waves.

She enters his apartment and spies the offending tree peeking through the window.

“Sorry, I tried to get it up-”

“Lucy! You need to be more careful. The insurance company is gonna love this one. Ask me for help next time.”

“I-I will. Again, I’m so sorry.”

He snaps a picture of the broken window and tree, then yells for his son.

“Help Lucy bring her tree upstairs, please,” Sherman tells his son.

“Luce!”

Sherman’s son, Wyatt, well, he’s-he’s…hard to describe. He’s not that much taller than her, has a stocky build and isn’t hideous, but he’s not the brightest bulb. 

“Wyatt.”

“I like your…sweater,” he says hesitantly.

She is quite aware of her current disheveled state and does not need a reminder. She has on a pair of black leggings and an oversized sweater. Her hair is up in a messy bun and she has not a lick of makeup on. 

She doesn’t really respond to him, but instead just stands there staring. He shrugs his shoulders and moves over to the window. The next thing she knows, he yanks the tree through the window, smashing the remaining glass. _What an idiot!_

“You know, Lucy, you’re a nice girl. Wyatt’s still single,” Sherman hints.

“Shocking,” Lucy responds mockingly.

Wyatt carries the tree up to her apartment and she basically slams the door in his face. She doesn’t mean to be rude, but she’s had encounters with him before and he tends to never want to leave once he’s in her apartment.

She changes into her pajamas and spends the night decorating her mangled tree, as Lincoln perches on the couch watching her. At least tomorrow is Monday and she can see her Prince Charming again.

The next morning before her shift starts, her boss, Rufus, stops her right outside the employee locker area.

“Hey, Lucy. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve nominated you for Employee of the Month.”

“What? I didn’t know we had an Employee of the Month,” she answers skeptically.

“I, Rufus Carlin, nominate Lucy Preston for Employee of the Month. Lucy is never tardy, she works every holiday, even if she worked the previous holiday. Just because she worked Thanksgiving-”

“I am _not_ working on Christmas, Rufus!”

“Come on Lucy. I’m down two people and Jiya has her family and I promised my mother I would be there this year and you’re the only one without-”

“Family,” she interrupts.

He nods in acknowledgment and gives his best puppy-dog face.

“This really stinks Rufus!”

“I know, Lucy. I’m sorry,” he states with a wince.

** _Christmas Day_ **

She pulls on her oversized, forest-green sweater and work smock, then drapes her father’s jacket over her arm. It’s freezing outside, (when isn’t it in Chicago in December), yet she steps out with her jacket in hand and allows the brisk, frigid air to envelope her. She takes a deep breath and shivers, then shrugs her jacket on as she walks to work.

The streets are eerily quiet today, more so than usual, but Lucy feels that’s to be expected on a holiday. She still can’t believe Rufus convinced her to work today, but she knows how important family is and cannot in good conscience let her co-workers miss out on spending time with theirs when she could work in their place.

She arrives at work and takes her designated spot in the tollbooth. Most of the foot traffic consists of early risers or churchgoers, and Lucy hopes the day won’t drag on too long. The constant parade of happy families is fraying her nerves and she wants nothing more than to go home and curl up on the couch with some hot cocoa, a book and Lincoln. 

A token slides into the slot and a voice calls down to her, “Merry Christmas.” She peers up and almost falls out of her chair. _It’s him! Her Prince Charming!_ His smile is bright and cheery and he is as gorgeous as ever in his black, pea coat. He’s holding a Christmas present wrapped in glimmering, red foil paper with a gold bow that would make Martha Stewart envious. She opens her mouth to respond, but her tongue betrays her and nothing comes out. He glides by her in a flash and the moment is lost. _Damn it!_

She tries to peek out of the booth to get a better view of him standing on the platform. _Get a grip, Lucy!_ She’s about to turn away, when she notices two men approach him on the platform. The men seem slightly on the sketchy side and the next thing she knows they attack him. The three men struggle for a while, but Prince Charming winds up getting pushed onto the tracks. Panic spreads through her and she rushes down the platform after him, the hell with protocols. She’s screaming for someone to help her as she peers over the tracks to find him lying flat on his back. She jumps down onto the tracks without another thought and checks his pulse. _Oh, god you smell good._ _Focus, Lucy! _His pulse is strong, but he’s still unresponsive. She’s pleading with him to wake up, as she gently prods him with her hands. _Come on, wake up mister!_

Suddenly, the sound of the train catches her attention and she glances up to see it barreling down the tracks towards them. No one has come to help her and she _has_ to do something. She grips the man’s shoulders and tries to lift him, but she’s not strong enough. She begins to rock him back and forth and manages to roll him on top of her. As much as she would love to remain in this position, she still has the imminent threat of the train coming at them. She rolls again and again and finally stops once she reaches the space underneath the platform. She’s on top of him, gasping for breath as the train flies into the station. He opens his eyes and stares up at her dreamily, before succumbing to unconsciousness once again. 

She rides with him in the ambulance to the hospital, and as the medics take him into a restricted area for treatment, a doctor steps out in front of her blocking the way.

“You can’t go in there unless you’re family, miss. Are you family?” he asks in a huff.

“No, but-”

“Then you can’t go in there,” he barks back.

“You don’t understand,” she urges.

He doesn’t seem to care at all and walks away just like that. 

“No, you don’t understand. I was going to marry him,” she half mumbles.

She’s standing there, still panting for breath from the whole ordeal, when she feels a hand gently touch her shoulder. She spins on her heels to find a nurse who takes hold of her elbow and guides her towards another door.

“Come with me,” she whispers.

Lucy doesn’t argue with her. In fact, she has no idea how her feet are even moving at this point since her brain is so nonfunctional. The nurse, whom Lucy later finds out is named Jessica, leads her through the twisting maze of hallways to the ICU. The doctors and nurses are working on him at the moment, but once they’re done, Jessica allows Lucy to enter the cubicle. He still hasn’t regained consciousness, yet he’s visibly breathing and appears to be primarily unscathed, for which she is eternally grateful.

She stands there just staring at him, hands still trembling slightly, and she can feel the presence of someone else in the doorway of the ICU cubicle. She turns her head just enough to see that it’s a police officer. He’s speaking to Nurse Jessica, so she refocuses her attention on her sleeping prince. 

“Is that the woman that saved his life?” the cop asks Jessica.

“Yes. It gets even better than that though. She’s his fiancée,” Jessica squeals with glee.

A moment later, an older, white-haired doctor steps back into the cubicle and starts going over the patient’s diagnosis and prognosis. Lucy’s brain is scrambling trying to comprehend everything going on around her and it gets even worse when a horde of people clamor into the cubicle.

“Where the hell is he?” an older man bellows.

“What’s going on? You can’t have that many people in here!” the doctor yells.

The older woman runs to Prince Charming’s side and Lucy knows instantly that this is his mother. There is also a younger woman, probably in her late teens to early twenties, with straight, brown hair who accompanies the older couple. The last part of the entourage is an elderly woman, who is being assisted by a middle-aged black man. 

His mother is clearly freaking out and she keeps repeating over and over again, “oh, Gabriel. Wake up darling, wake up.” His father is questioning what happened to his son and Lucy has to explain the events of the morning. 

“Who _are_ you?” the father asks her with a slightly acerbic tone.

Jessica interjects and announces that she’s his fiancée and she also saved his life. His mother practically vaults herself at Lucy, hugging her so tightly she can barely breathe. She’s trying to explain there’s been a mistake and they don’t understand, but the entire family unit is talking over her and his mother is now crying on her shoulder.

The next thing she knows, she’s in the waiting room with the rest of the family and they’re _all_ staring at her. She spies Nurse Jessica and pulls her to the side, so that no one can hear them.

“Why did you say that I was his fiancée?” she questions in a hushed tone.

“What do you mean? I heard you say you were going to marry him,” Jessica explains.

“I was talking to myself! I never met him before I saved his life today!” Lucy exclaims with a wave of her hands.

“I’m sorry. Just tell them I made a mistake.”

“His mother was crying on me and his grandmother is all excited about our engagement. How am I supposed to tell them now?” Lucy asks incredulously.

“I don’t know, but next time you’re talking to yourself, tell yourself you’re single and end the conversation,” Jessica quips as she walks away.

She shakes her head and wanders back to the waiting room. She is so torn up right now about what she should do. _What’s the best way to handle this scenario?_ _How does she tell them that it’s all a mistake when they’re clinging to her for mutual support right now?_

“So, how did you and Gabriel meet?” his grandmother asks.

“Mom! She doesn’t want to talk about that now!” his mother scolds.

Jessica reenters the waiting area and hands his father a clipboard and a pen.

“Mr. Flynn, I need you to sign these consent forms for Gabriel’s insurance.”

_Gabriel Flynn. She finally knows the love of her life’s name._

“I bet it was love at first sight,” his grandmother teases.

“Did you steal him away from Emma?” his little sister chimes in.

Lucy smiles back at them. 

“It was definitely love at first sight, at least for my part,” she confesses. “His smile was the first thing I noticed about him,” she adds with a dreamy expression on her face.

“Huh! They’re caps! Six hundred bucks a tooth!” his father bemoans loudly.

“Well, we saw each other and he smiled and I knew that my life would never be the same,” Lucy replies shyly.

She’s not lying about that statement, but it’s the furthest stretch of the truth in the history of the world. His grandmother giggles with delight and his mother beams a colossal smile back at her. _How is she going to do this?_

She decides she’s making a run for it. _If she pretends she has to go to the ladies room and just never comes back, they won’t notice, right?_ She stands up suddenly and pulls her purse over her shoulder, but his mother catches the movement out of the corner of her eye.

“Lucy? Are you okay?”

_She has been caught red-handed and has to think fast to come up with some type of plausible excuse._

“I was just gonna grab a coffee. Would you like one, Mrs. Flynn?”

His mother stands up as well and closes the gap between them.

“Lucy, dear, call me Maria. I insist,” Maria states with authority, as she puts an arm around Lucy’s shoulder.

“Uh, okay.”

“I think I’ll come with you. I need to stretch my legs,” she announces.

_Lovely. There goes her escape plan._

They stroll arm in arm down the hallway towards the vending machine area. Lucy learns that his father’s name in Asher, his sister’s name is Amy, and he has another brother named Garcia. The other obviously non-related party is their next-door neighbor, Connor Mason, who also happens to be Gabriel’s godfather.

Maria quizzes Lucy about her family situation as they pay for the sludge that passes as coffee at this hospital. By the time they make it back to the waiting room, Lucy feels like Maria just got a recitation of her entire biography. A few minutes after they return, the doctor comes back out and informs them that Gabriel’s brain scans are clear and he mostly likely only suffered a concussion. The doctor urges them to go home for the night and come back the next morning.

Both Maria and Grandma give Lucy a hug before she leaves and the guilt of lying to them is already seeping into her conscience. _She needs to stop this before it goes any further. Hopefully, she’ll go home and disappear from their world entirely._

_ _

Lucy is beyond exhausted by the time she makes it home. She’s halfway up the stairs to her apartment when she hears the door to the Logan’s apartment open and shut. 

“Luce!” Wyatt yells.

She stops and looks back over her shoulder at him. _She really is not in the mood for Wyatt right now_. 

“Tomorrow night, eight p.m. Ice Capades. I know a guy,” he brags, as he holds two tickets in the air.

Lucy just hums and climbs the remaining steps to her floor, opens her door and goes inside. She changes into her pajamas and pours herself a glass of wine. She feeds Lincoln his dinner and tries to unwind with her book, but she can’t seem to relax. Her mind is wandering over the events of the day and the guilt is eating away at her. She attempts to watch a little television, but she cannot focus. 

She gets up from the couch and throws on some clothes. She has no idea why she’s doing this, but she feels a sudden compulsion to go back to the hospital. 

_ _

Connor Mason has known the Flynn family for a very long time. They have inexplicably become the family he never thought he would have. Not able to sleep, he makes his way to the hospital. If he can’t sleep, at least he can keep vigil over his godson for the night.

He’s about to go into Gabriel’s room, when he spies Lucy standing there. He remains out of sight, but not out of earshot.

“I don’t know if you can hear me, but-well… I bet you’re wondering what I’m doing here in the middle of the night. I guess I should start by introducing myself. Hi, my name is Lucy, Lucy Preston. Your family thinks we’re engaged. Never been engaged before. This is all very sudden for me. I don’t know what to do. If you were awake, I wouldn’t be in this mess. Not that I’m blaming you,” she rambles.

He listens to her pour her heart out to an unconscious Gabriel. Her sad, lonely story definitely tugs at his heart strings. She seems like a lovely woman. Gabriel could use a good woman in his life. Maybe, after he wakes up and all is said and done, the two of them can get together and laugh about all of this one day. In the meantime, he knows how happy Maria and her mother were tonight when they met Lucy. It’s giving them something to hold onto in this time of great anxiety, and he can’t bear to take that away from them right now. So, he decides to maintain his silence, for now at least.

_ _

Lucy wakes up and instantly feels the achy pain in her neck and back. She opens her eyes and finds that she fell asleep in the chair at Gabriel’s bedside. She checks her watch and panics. _Crap. She’s going to be late for work if she doesn’t hurry._ Gabriel is still in the same state as last night, so she says goodbye out of habit. She walks out of the cubicle, only to literally bump right into his father and the rest of the family. 

“Lucy! Have you been here all night?” Maria asks with concern.

She shakes her head, as she pushes an errant strand of hair from her face.

“Oh, you poor dear,” Maria answers, as she hugs her.

“How’s he doing?” Asher questions, as he leans over to get a better look at his son. 

“Um, well, I think he’s got more color this morning,” Lucy blurts out.

She has no clue why she just said that, but she’s tired and emotionally wrung out. 

“Well, I-I gotta get going.”

“Oh, Lucy?” Maria calls out just as she’s about to leave.

“Yeah?”

“Since we didn’t get to celebrate Christmas yesterday, we’re going to do it tonight and we’d be honored if you would join us,” Maria offers with a hopeful expression.

“Oh, I-I’m busy tonight and I wouldn’t want to impose anyway.”

“It’s no imposition. You’re family now. Give Maria your number and she’ll call you later and talk you into it,” Asher gently orders.

“Yeah, Lucy. You can finally meet Garcia,” Amy advises with a bright smile.

She can tell that Asher and Maria are not going to give up on this, so she scribbles her number on a piece of paper and hands it to Asher. He, in turn, digs into his wallet and hands her one of his business cards.

“Here. In case you change your mind. Call us anytime,” he offers with sincerity.

Lucy takes the card and sticks it in her jacket pocket before she practically sprints out the door.

She’s waiting for the elevator to come, wondering what is taking so long. Finally, the doors open and she’s about to step on when a hospital orderly comes running down the hall with a clear, plastic bag tucked under his arm.

“Mrs. Flynn!” he yells, as he’s trying to catch her.

Lucy stomps her foot in anger and rounds on him.

“We’re not married!”

This poor man doesn’t deserve the brunt of her frustration, but she unloads on him anyway. She’ll without a doubt feel incredibly guilty later, but right now she’s at the end of her rope.

“I apologize. You’re his fiancée right?”

He doesn’t wait for her response, but instead hands her the plastic bag full of items.

“These are his personal effects. I thought you might want to hold onto them, so they don’t get lost.”

Lucy takes the bags and nods as the orderly walks away. She turns to actually get onto the elevator, which is about to close, when a man dressed in a three-piece suit and dress coat stops her.

“You’re Gabriel’s fiancée? It’s nice to meet you. Noah Gargano. We work together at Callahan, Adams and Spencer and we’re friends,” the man states, as he extends his hand to shake.

Lucy shakes it and really hopes this Noah guy doesn’t start asking her questions she doesn’t have the answers to.

“Friend?” she asks.

It’s the only word that seems to be spewing from her mouth at the moment.

“Yes, friend. Oh, my god, did he-he didn’t say I did that on purpose did he?” Noah questions with an expression of panic.

“Did what-”

“It was an accident! I don’t know how many more times I can say it. We were playing basketball and I had a pencil in my back pocket. I’m a lawyer, I always have a pencil…”

_TMI. _It’s all that goes through Lucy’s head. This Noah guy continues to go on and on about “the incident” and Lucy just wants to crawl in a hole and die. Finally, she gets back into the elevator, Noah following and still yammering on and on, until they reach the hospital lobby and she politely excuses herself.

_ _

_What is she doing, what is she doing?_ She is losing her mind and she really needs to talk to someone about this. Unfortunately, since Rufus made her work on Christmas and got her into this mess, he’s going to have to hear about the repercussions.

“Rufus, what am I going to do?”

“Tell them the truth.”

“But, Maria was crying on me and Grandma has this heart thing and Asher is so blunt and funny and Amy is so sweet and Connor…”

“Connor? Who the hell is Connor?” Rufus asks.

“He’s the next-door neighbor.”

“Okay. That’s really random, Lucy.”

“What do you think I should do, Rufus?” Lucy begs.

He continues walking as she talks to him. Lucy can tell she’s beginning to annoy him, but she really doesn’t give a crap right now.

“Go along with it then. When he wakes up, they’ll be so happy he’s okay, they won’t care that you lied. I mean, you _did _save his life after all,” he answers honestly.

She doesn’t really want to take Rufus’ advice, but to have someone want to spend time with her and to have that sense of belonging that she’s been craving, feels really, really good. She still doesn’t know what to do, so she figures she’ll just think about it for a little while.

So, she goes home, curls up on the couch with Lincoln and her frozen dinner, and stares at the television. She gets up to get herself something to drink and she spies Asher’s business card, which she stuck on the fridge earlier. She picks it up and glosses her thumb over it. 

“Flynn & Son Estate Furniture. Asher Flynn, Owner,” she reads aloud.

She glances back at her awful dinner. _What the hell!_


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy finally meets the last member of the Flynn family.

Lucy picks up her phone and calls Asher. He, of course, graciously extends the invitation to their celebration tonight and this time she accepts. Lucy changes into a pair of jeans and a floral blouse and takes a cab to the Flynn residence. She stops along the way and purchases a poinsettia plant to bring with her.

The second she exits the cab, she wants to dive right back in, but she hears someone calling her name. She turns around and finds the next-door neighbor, Connor, strolling towards her. He asks her to walk with him while he finishes his cigar and Lucy acquiesces. As strange as he is, Lucy has to admit that she finds his quirkiness somewhat amusing. They stroll slowly towards the corner, as he tells her about himself and his life and Lucy shares tidbits of her own in response. As they approach the Flynn residence once again, the front door opens and Maria steps out onto the front porch. She beams at the sight of them.

“Lucy! You came!” Maria exclaims, as she moves towards her and pulls her into an embrace.

Maria shuffles Lucy and Connor into the house, takes both of their coats and ushers them into the living room, where the rest of the family has already gathered. Asher and Maria are sitting on the couch next to one another, with Grandma on the other side. Connor takes a seat in the armchair and Amy motions for Lucy to take a seat in the other. 

They munch on snacks and have a few drinks. At one point, Maria and Amy are showing Lucy photos albums of Gabriel throughout the years. Lucy has to admit he’s always been good-looking. As far as she saw, there was no discernable awkward stage for him. There was even a cute, little article from the paper about Gabriel saving a bunch of baby squirrels. 

Asher decides a moment later that he wants his family photos by the tree, and Lucy offers to take them. They allow her to take a few of them, but they _insist_ she get in them since she’s now family. Connor takes over the role of photographer in her stead. Lucy feels completely ridiculous, but she smiles at the camera anyway.

After the photo session, they all make their way back into the living room and begin the ritual opening of the presents. Amy plays Santa, flitting from her mother to grandmother and even Connor. Lucy sits on the floor near the warmth of the fireplace and watches the scene unfold, a smile from ear to ear. The Flynn family is certainly colorful, yelling and talking and laughing over each other, as they tear through the brightly-colored wrapping paper. They are a real, living, breathing _family_ in every sense that counts, from the mildly acerbic patriarch, to the loving and caring matriarch, the bright-eyed little sister, the off-her-rocker grandma and an aloof, middle-aged black man from England who lives next-door. She has wanted this feeling of belonging for _so_ long that the small bits of snarky humor from Asher, nor the probing questions of Maria and Amy, or the utterly inappropriate comments of Grandma, bother her in the slightest right now. She can readily imagine that these qualities might have sent a lesser woman running for the hills, but she is reveling in their weirdness.

Connor refills her glass of wine and then moves to refill Grandma as well, when she puts her hand over the glass.

“I don’t drink anymore,” Grandma states with authority.

“Oh?” Connor asks with a raise of his eyebrow.

Grandma then moves her hand away from the glass and leans closer to Connor and Lucy.

“I don’t drink any _less_ either!” she laughs.

Lucy and Connor laugh with her and then give each other the same wide-eyed “this is not happening” look. _Grandma is certainly colorful._ Just then, Amy slips into her line of sight and hands her a brightly-colored, square package.

“From Santa,” she states in her best imitation of a grown man.

Lucy takes the package, but doesn’t rip into it right away. She watches as Asher gets excited when Maria opens his gift: a pair of beautiful, pearl earrings; when Connor gives Grandma an expensive perfume he bought in Paris; and when Maria hands Asher a package telling him it’s from Uncle Al.

“Who the hell is that?” he bellows.

Maria patiently explains the relation to her husband and Lucy thinks she’s falling in love all over again. This time, with an entire family though. They’re crazy, yet normal and bursting with love. She feels like she’s been swept inside a TV sitcom or something.

As she gets up to stretch her legs at one point, she turns to gaze at the fire. Each family member’s stocking is hung there and she goes down the line, reading them one at a time, until her eyes bug out when she gets to the end and finds her own name. _They got her a Christmas stocking with her name on it!_ This has so gotten out of hand and she doesn’t think she can keep it up much longer, even if she doesn’t want to let go at all.

** _Gabriel’s apartment_ **

The phone rings and rings, until an answering machine comes on. A voice rings out into the empty space.

“Gabriel, it’s Emma. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for a couple of days, but you’re not answering. Anyway, I’ve decided to cut my trip short and come back to Chicago. And, yes, I will marry you.”

It’s almost midnight when Garcia sneaks into his parents’ house. He was supposed to be there hours ago, but got distracted in the garage. He peeks at the strange woman asleep on the couch, and is about to enter the living room and find out exactly what’s going on here, when he feels a tap on his forearm. He glances down to find his little sister, Amy, clad in her pajamas staring back at him.

“Who is that?” he questions.

“Shh, don’t wake her. Lucy. Gabriel’s fiancée.”

“That’s not Gabriel’s fiancée.”

“Oh, have you met her?” Amy asks.

“No.”

“She’s great. You’ll love her.”

He gazes back towards the couch and gets a strange feeling he can’t seem to shake.

“Maybe, I’ll just spend the night here,” he states to Amy, as he climbs the first stair.

“Just don’t eat all my cereal in the morning,” she scolds.

He chuckles and chases her up the stairs.

The next morning, he wakes early like he always does, gets dressed and goes downstairs to start a pot of coffee. He grabs the paper from the porch, knowing his father will want to read it as soon as he’s up, and waits for the pot to brew. Once the coffee is ready, he pours himself a mug, grabs the paper and takes a seat on the second stair. The front door is directly in his view, so Gabriel’s mysterious fiancée will not be able to slip by unnoticed.

A couple of minutes later, he hears muffled sounds coming from the living room and assumes this “Lucy” woman is now awake. She creeps towards the front door on her tiptoes.

“Good morning,” he announces, as he gazes up from his newspaper.

She jumps at his voice and spins around in a panic. 

“G-g-good morning, _Garcia_.”

“I wasn’t aware we had met before,” he teases.

“Process of elimination,” she quips back.

A car honks outside and she opens the door, but stops and turns back to him.

“I-I’ve got to go, but it was nice meeting you,” she states shyly, as she tugs a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Welcome to the family,” he calls out after her right before she shuts the door.

He sits there staring after her, that same, strange feeling coursing through his veins. There is something about her that he can’t quite pinpoint that bugs him, _a lot_. Just going by appearances, she doesn’t seem like his brother’s type. _Appearances can be deceiving though._ He sighs loudly, then gets up and goes back to the kitchen for another cup of Joe. 

About a half-hour later, he hears movement on the second floor and knows someone is up. It’s most likely his father. It’s a Sunday, so his family will be going to mass shortly. He might as well go with them. It’ll make his mother happy and he can ask them more questions about Lucy. 

So, he heads to mass with his entire family, the subject of Lucy and Gabriel on his mind the whole way there. 

“So, Dad, don’t you think if Gabriel was getting married he would’ve announced it in the Tribune?”

His father leans closer to him, but doesn’t lower his voice. “We read the Sun Times,” he deadpans.

“It just doesn’t make sense. Why was she sneaking out this morning then?”

“She has a job, Garcia.”

He’s about to argue back, when another parishioner shushes them. He decides he needs to investigate this matter further, since he can’t confer with his brother at the moment.

When Lucy arrives back at her apartment, she takes a shower, changes into her comfy clothes. She dumps the bag of personal belongings the hospital gave her out onto her bed and sorts through its contents. The bag contains a set of keys, his wallet, a pair of gloves, shoes and a can of cat food. She doesn’t notice the can at first, but instead picks up his wallet and starts perusing it. _He even looks good in his driver’s license! No one looks good in those things!_ It’s at this exact moment that her foot hits something hard and she peers down and spies the can of cat food.

Panicking, she springs up from the bed, throws on clothes suitable to wear in public, then grabs the can of cat food and Gabriel’s keys. She darts down the stairs and out her front door. As she approaches the street, she notices Wyatt tinkering under the hood of his car. She _really_ cannot deal with him right now. She slinks along the side of the building and takes off running as Wyatt turns his head in the opposite direction. Lucy bolts around the corner and then relaxes slightly. She decides it’ll be faster if she takes the train. She crosses the street and takes the stairs to the entrance. As she boards the train, she hopes and prays that Gabriel’s cat is alive and well and not too pissed off it hasn’t had a meal for a while. _Please, dear lord let his cat be okay._

_ _

Garcia manages to obtain Lucy’s address from his mother’s little address book she religiously leaves by the phone. He knows he shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t be doing this, but the universe is calling out to him that he needs to find out more about her. He exits his truck and notices a man working on his car in front of the building.

“Excuse me, do you live here?”

The man lifts his head up from under the hood. He has a large smear of grease going across his cheek and neck. He also appears to be more than a little bit drunk.

“Live here? I own the place,” the man brags.

“Oh, then you’d know the woman who lives in 201?” he questions.

“Know her? I’m dating her,” the man responds, as he puffs his chest out.

_Oh, really? This is an interesting development indeed._ The man’s breath is as corrosive as gasoline, so he cuts the conversation short and climbs back into his truck. _If she and Gabriel are truly engaged, wouldn’t there be some sign at Gabriel’s apartment?_

He decides his brother’s apartment is going to be his next stop. He uses the spare key that he has. No one else in the family has one, since Gabriel doesn’t want them prying. He hears movement in the kitchen and hears a voice. He’s about to go into the kitchen to find out who’s in here, when the door slams into his face like an air bag explosion. 

“Oh, no! I’m so sorry!” he hears a voice exclaim.

His eyes sting and his nose is killing him. When he finally pries his eyes open, he sees Lucy standing there with a bag of frozen peas in her hand. She extends the bag towards him and he takes it reluctantly and places it on the bridge of his nose. 

“How did you get in here?” he questions.

“Key,” she answers nonchalantly.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to feed the cat.”

“Gabriel doesn’t have a cat,” he explains, as he gives her the evil eye.

The next thing he knows, a white ball of fluff jumps up onto the counter, as Lucy puts the bowl of food down for it. _Gabriel has a cat? When the hell did he get a cat?_

“What are _you_ doing here?” she asks in confusion.

He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. He can’t exactly tell her the real reason he’s here and his mind is blanking. Thankfully, the phone in the apartment rings a second later. 

“Are you going to get that?” he asks with a curious tone.

“Nah, the machine will get it,” she answers with a wave of her hand.

He can’t help himself. After it rings two more times, he answers it.

“It’s-it’s for you,” he advises, as he hands her the phone.

She takes the phone from his hand and has a brief conversation with whoever is on the other end. He has just received his second sign that maybe she _is_ in a relationship with his brother, but he still can’t shake the feeling that something is amiss. She hangs up the phone and turns back towards him.

“That was-that was the hospital. They said it’s customary for friends and family to give blood, so…”

“We can go together,” he suggests.

She eyes him warily and he realizes he may need to tone it down a bit. He’s not exactly being subtle in his disbelief. 

“Fine.”

“We can take Gabriel’s car,” he states, as more of an order than a suggestion.

They board the elevator and descend to the basement level where the parking garage is. He’s watching her intently to see if she’s showing any signs of being in a foreign environment. She hits the button on the key fob and the alarm and lights flicker on Gabriel’s BMW sitting a few spaces over. He asks if she cares if he drives and she hands him the keys and enters the passenger side. 

The ride over to the hospital is spent in total silence. He glances over at her sporadically, but Lucy keeps her eyes either straight ahead or looking out her own window. 

When they arrive at the hospital, they are led into a room with multiple cubicles. He can’t see her, but they can still have a conversation through the divider. Not that they are having a conversation right now. After a few more minutes of silence, he breaks down and starts his mini-interrogation.

“When did you start seeing Gabriel?”

“September 17th,” Lucy answers almost as quickly as he asks.

“Three months. That’s quick,” he muses.

She doesn’t respond to that observation.

“That’s a fast engagement,” he opines.

She still doesn’t answer him.

Lucy finishes giving blood before him and she doesn’t wait either. She’s halfway out the door, as he’s trying to get up faster than he should. He almost passes out as he grabs the end of the chair. He wants to go after her, but his body is not cooperating. He’ll just have to catch up.

_ _

Lucy can tell that Garcia is skeptical of her non-existent relationship with Gabriel. All she wants is to escape his suspicious gaze. She finishes donating her blood before him and uses the time alone to try to compose herself.

Since they’re already here, she of course is going to visit Gabriel before going home. When she reaches the room, the entire family, as well as Connor, are packed into the small cubicle. Garcia catches up to her a few minutes later and continues his version of the Spanish Inquisition.

“Who is his favorite Stooge?” Garcia barks.

“Cuh-Curly,” she stammers, as she takes a stab in the dark.

“Ha! He’s everybody’s favorite.”

“Garcia, what the hell is wrong with you? Why are you treating Lucy like this?” his mother scolds.

“Don’t ask me, ask her boyfriend!” he yells back.

“That is _not_ funny, young man,” his mother answers, as tears threaten to fall from her eyes.

“No, not this boyfriend,” he declares, as he points to his brother. “Wyatt Logan.”

Lucy bursts into uncontrollable laughter. 

“Wyatt is not my boyfriend,” she finally explains.

“That’s not what he said!”

“Well, he also says he’s in hiding because a shadowy, governmental agency is trying to kill him. He’s delusional,” Lucy explains.

Grandma starts clenching her chest and Maria is freaking out. Asher is yelling at him that he’s gonna give Grandma a heart attack. Finally, after a few minutes, Grandma shushes everybody.

“If she wants to prove it, she’ll prove it,” Grandma suggests.

Everyone is staring at her and she’s panicking. _What is wrong with her that she’s trying so desperately to hold onto a fake relationship?_ Finally, she spurts out the one piece of personal information that she knows about him.

“Gabriel has one testicle!”

“What?” they ask in unison.

“There was this basketball incident and the guy had a pencil in his back pocket and…”

“Who’s going to check?” Grandma asks.

Everyone else turns away in disgust and Maria is the one who bites the bullet since she’s his mother. She confirms Lucy’s story and the rest of the family glares at Garcia. Naturally, Grandma finds a way to break the tension once again.

“Well, he’s got more room in his jockey shorts now.”

“Ma!” Maria gasps in horror.

She really loves Grandma. Grandma is one of a kind. She just says whatever comes to mind. _Must be nice._

She stays for a little while longer and then heads for home. She’s not even in her door for more than five minutes before someone’s knocking. She opens the door to find Wyatt standing there with a pissed off look on his face.

“What gives? You stood me up!” he whines.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Lucy asks.

“The Ice Capades. We were supposed to go together.”

“I never said I’d go out with you.”

Suddenly, there is another knock at her door.

“Who is it?” Lucy calls out.

“It’s Connor.”

Lucy opens her closet door and shoves Wyatt inside, threatening him if he makes a single, solitary sound. She opens her door and lets Connor inside.

“What are you doing here?” she questions.

“Lucy, I know the truth about you and Gabriel. I overheard you that first night in the hospital,” he confesses.

“I’m so sorry! I never meant to hurt them. They’re wonderful people and I-”

“Don’t tell them a thing!” he interrupts.

“What?”

“Right now, they need you as much as you need them. Don’t tell them. I’ve known the Flynn family for a long time. They adore you,” Connor declares.

Lucy nods. She doesn’t want to tell them, even if she knows she should. Connor leaves a minute later and she opens the closet to find Wyatt sitting on the floor, a pair of her stiletto heels directly in front of him.

“Were you trying on my shoes?” she asks indignantly.

Again, there’s a knock on her door and she slams the closet shut once again.

“What does this look like, Grand Central Station?” she bemoans.

She opens the door expecting to find Connor again, except it’s Garcia.

“Hey, Lucy. I have an early engagement present for you,” he announces.

“Oh, you really shouldn’t have.”

“I didn’t. It’s from my parents,” he explains.

“What is it?” she questions.

“It’s out in the truck if you want to see it?”

“Why don’t we just take it over to Gabriel’s apartment?” Lucy suggests.

“You don’t even know what it is.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. It’ll look better over there and that’s where I’ll be living after we’re married, so better to just take it now.”

She grabs her jacket and purse from the hook by the door and ushers him out of her apartment, but not before a loud bang comes from inside.

“What was that?” he questions.

“Cat.”

“That’s a _big_ cat,” he comments.

They make their way out to the street where she finds a big, furniture delivery truck with Flynn & Son written on the side. Garcia opens up the back and she spies a beautiful rocking chair made of dark wood.

“Oh, wow!” she exclaims, as she stares at the chair.

“You like it?” he asks.

“Yeah!”

“Tough. My parents are giving you the loveseat,” he explains.

“Oh.”

“You genuinely look disappointed.”

“That chair is beautiful! Can I sit in it?” she asks.

He takes her hand to help her into the back of the truck and Lucy tries hard to ignore the tingling sensation she feels as their skin makes contact. She sits in the chair, rocking back and forth with a huge smile on her face.

“You like it?” he asks, as he squats down to her level.

“I do. Where did you get it?”

“I made it.”

“You made this?” Lucy questions.

He nods and she notices a slight blush creep into his cheeks. She sits and rocks for a minute, then notices his outstretched hand. She takes it and they climb down and close the door.

She’s not sure, but she thinks she may have caught him glancing over at her on the ride over to Gabriel’s apartment. When they arrive, she tells Garcia that he’s parking too close to the car in front of him and he’s going to get blocked in. He explains that he has to do that in order to have room to unload the loveseat.

They get the loveseat down and push it towards the door. The doorman stops them and Garcia gets suspicious again when he doesn’t seem to know her. Lucy pushes the loveseat herself towards the elevator, desperate to get out of the situation as fast as possible. She’s still within earshot of Garcia and the doorman when she hears him explain that he’s new here.

“That’s Gabriel Flynn’s fiancée. Apartment 57G.”

“Oh! They told me about her. She’s _scary_,” the doorman whispers.

Lucy can still hear them, even though they’re trying to be quiet. Finally, Garcia joins her and they get the loveseat into the elevator and up to the front door of the apartment. Unfortunately, the loveseat gets wedged in the front door and is now stuck. Lucy watches as Garcia swears he can get it through, he just needs to use a little bit of elbow grease. She tries to tell him it’s not going to work, but he ignores her. So, she sits down on the edge of the loveseat and waits.

Finally, after few minutes, Garcia admits defeat and accepts Lucy’s help in getting it through the door. They push it through after Lucy has him turn it on its side, but he pushes too hard and knocks over a decorate vase of flowers. An unknown blue substance from the inside of the vase spreads out over the white carpet and Lucy gasps in horror at the mess they’ve made.

“I think it should go right over that,” he jokes, as he pushes it over top of the stained area of the carpet.

Lucy laughs and shakes her head. _She’s now ruined this poor man’s carpet, as well as co-opted his family. She’s a monster._

They make their way back to the truck only to find that it has been blocked in by someone parking too close behind them.

“Damn it!” he yells in frustration.

“They can pretty much stay here all night. You’re not getting out until morning,” she advises.

She wraps her scarf around her neck and begins walking towards her apartment.

“Wait! You’re just going to leave me here?” he complains.

“Yep!” she replies with a smirk.

He catches up to her in no time with his long stride.

“I’ll walk you home.”

“I’m okay. You don’t have to,” she insists.

“It’s for protection.”

“I have pepper spray on my keychain,” Lucy answers.

“I wasn’t talking about you, I was referring to me,” he laughs.

Lucy chuckles. She kinda likes his weird sense of humor. They walk and talk like they have been friends for years and somehow wind up on the subject of her father and his love of maps.

“If you could go anywhere in the world-”

“Florence,” she interrupts.

“Italy, huh?”

“Yep. I want it to be the first stamp in my passport.”

“You have a passport, but you’ve never left the country?” he questions.

“Yeah, I guess I’m too much of a dreamer like my Dad. I’m sorry, I’ve been talking your ear off this entire time.”

“It’s more than fine. Making conversation keeps my face from freezing,” he jokes.

She laughs wholeheartedly. Lucy can’t remember the last time she’s laughed this much in one night. It’s been years. He’s very easy to talk to, once you get past the initial gruffness.

They make it to her apartment without hypothermia setting in. Well, they make it to the sidewalk in front of her building, which is full of ice. 

“Here, let me help you,” he offers, as he takes a hold of her elbow.

“I’m okay,” she states, as she slips slightly, before righting herself.

He slips, doesn’t regain his footing and pulls her down with him. She winds up on top of him, as he winces in pain on the icy ground. They stare into each other’s eyes for a moment too long and then Lucy scrambles as best she can to her feet. She extends a hand to help him up, which he graciously accepts. Lucy yanks him up with a force she didn’t know she was capable of. They are gripping each other tightly, limbs intertwining like a boa constrictor squeezing its prey. Their mouths are close and they’re breathing in the other with a love struck awe. 

She breaks away a second later and separates herself from him. She shuffles her feet towards the apartment building’s entrance and then glances back up at him.

“Well, thanks for walking me. I had a lot of fun tonight,” she beams.

“Me too,” he answers, as he runs a hand through his hair.

Lucy has a flashback to Gabriel doing the same exact motion with his hair on the platform one day. Apart from their similar appearance, you can definitely tell they’re related just by watching some of their mannerisms. She lingers at the doorway for a moment, before she enters the building and climbs the stairs. 

The door to Wyatt’s apartment opens the second she shuts the outside door.

“It’s either me or him!” Wyatt screams, as she ascends the stairs.

“Him!”

“You don’t have to answer right away!” he yells back in disappointment.

_ _

Garcia brushes the snow off of his behind as he walks down the sidewalk. He honestly can’t remember having a better time on a first date in his life. Problem is, it wasn’t a real date. This woman captivates him and is engaged to marry his older brother. _What the hell is wrong with him? He can’t have feelings for his soon-to-be sister-in-law. _

Try as he may, he cannot stop thinking about Lucy. _Why couldn’t he have met her first?_ He needs to get this out of his system and fast. But, Lucy has gotten under his skin. Her smile lights up the entire room and her laugh is adorably contagious. 

He doesn’t sleep well at all that night, visions of Lucy dancing in his head. So, he gets up extra early, showers and goes to the hospital to visit his brother. None of the other family are there yet, so he sits at the foot of the bed. He pulls the hospital tray over and places a deck of cards on it. He’s struggling with seeing his brother in such a frail, fragile state. He doesn’t know what to do, so he begins to shuffle and then deal out the cards. 

“You are unlucky at cards, but…lucky in love,” Garcia states.

He shuffles the deck again and deals out another hand.

“I was always proud of you, proud that you were my brother, proud of all that you have accomplished. Even when the teachers would ask me why I couldn’t be more like you, I was still proud. I was never envious of anything you had…until now.”

He finishes the hand and reshuffles. 

“I’ll cut the deck. High card gets Lucy,” he suggests.

He flips a card to Gabriel’s side of the tray and turns over his own. Then he lifts the other card and slams it back on the tray.

“Alright, we’ll go best out of three.”

_ _

Lucy wakes the next morning with a huge smile on her face. She hasn’t felt this good or happy in quite a while. Yet, the cause of this blessed blissfulness is problematic to say the least. _ He’s his brother, Lucy! His brother._ She really needs to talk to someone about this, but she’s not comfortable enough with most of her friends to explain this. They’ll think she’s crazy and never speak to her again. _What is she saying, she is crazy!_ _Normal people don’t do this kind of stuff._

She corners Rufus in his office and slams the door shut with force.

“Whoa! Hurricane Lucy!”

“I’m having an affair!” she blurts out.

“What?” he asks with confusion.

“I like Garcia. If I tell him I lied to him and his family, he’ll never speak to me again.”

“Who is Garcia?”

“Gabriel’s brother.”

“Gabriel is coma guy, right?”

Lucy nods then drops her head onto his desk in frustration. 

“What do I do, Rufus?”

“You need to tell them the truth. This is completely insane.”

“But, the entire family will disown me,” she whines.

“Lucy, you’re born into a family. You don’t join them like the Marines,” Rufus quips.

“What should I do?”

“Pull the plug,” he deadpans.

“You’re sick,” Lucy replies with revulsion.

“I’m sick? You’re the one cheating on a vegetable.”


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flynn finds himself falling for his future sister-in-law. Amy causes a major misunderstanding. Gabriel awakens from his coma and all hell breaks loose.

His mother informs him she’s having a family dinner, which means there is no excuse that one could come up with, save for being in a coma, that she would find acceptable. He finds himself rummaging through the recesses of his closet trying to find something appropriate to wear. It’s a whole new feeling for him, since he’s never cared what he looked like at a family dinner before. But this isn’t just “some family dinner.” He wants to look his “casual best” knowing Lucy will be attending. It’s completely ridiculous, but he feels compelled to do it anyway. She seems to enjoy spending time with his insane family, which is more than he can say about any other woman he’s ever dated. Not that they’re dating, but…

She has been floating around his head like a ghost haunting his every thought since that night he walked her back to her apartment. She is _everything_ he’s ever wanted in a woman and so much more. He knows it’s wrong, but he can’t fight the pull he feels towards her. It’s as if he has no choice in the matter, that fate is dangling the perfect woman in front of him only to snatch her from his grasp. 

Dinner is going as well as it can with his family. Asher is interrogating Amy about what she’s doing with her life, Connor is in a full-fledged argument about jazz music with Grandma and his mother is bending Lucy’s ear. Somehow, he winds up sitting directly across from her at dinner. She’s so beautiful that he has to consciously try not to stare, but knows he’s failing miserably.

“Lucy, can you find me a nice girl for Garcia?” his mother teases with a smile.

She glances up at him and his heart is thumping in his chest, as the blush spreads to his cheeks. 

“Well, I don’t know his type,” she answers before taking another bite of her chicken.

_You. My type is you._

“I like blondes. Tall, skinny ones,” he lies, as he helps himself to some more mashed potatoes.

Amy, who is sitting right next to him, is apparently listening to this conversation instead of paying attention to whatever her father is saying to her. She turns and looks at him as if he has three heads.

“You like brunettes,” Amy corrects.

He’s probably hallucinating, but he swears he sees Lucy blush a little.

“I’ll keep my eye out,” Lucy informs Maria with a wink.

_Look no further than the mirror._

An awkward silence falls at their end of the table, until his mother decides she’s had enough.

“These mashed potatoes are so creamy,” she states, as she shoves another forkful into her mouth.

Lucy and he both laugh, as they sneak glances at each other from across the table.

After dinner, Lucy informs them all that her cab is here. He walks her to the front door, along with the rest of his family, as they say their goodbyes.

“Look at that! You’re under the mistletoe!” Maria exclaims.

Panic spreads through him, as he turns to look at Lucy. She seems to be just as horrified as he is about it.

“Kiss her!” Grandma commands.

“Kiss her,” Maria echoes.

_It’s all he’s wanted to do for a while now. Yet, he didn’t imagine his first kiss with Lucy would be in front of his entire family._

“It’s tradition,” his father bellows.

Lucy shrugs and he leans down and gives her a chaste peck on the lips. She lowers her head, never glancing back at him and waltzes out the door. Even though the kiss was chaste, it still sent shivers down his spine. _He is so screwed._

The next day, Lucy is at work, wondering what she’s going to do about the sticky situation she seems to be stuck in. Suddenly, she hears a voice speaking to her through the small hole in the ticket booth.

“Two tokens please.”

She glances up to find Amy and a friend of hers standing there. She buzzes them through the gate and waves them into the booth. Her co-worker, Jiya, finds Lucy’s new visitors _very_ interesting.

“Jiya, this is Amy and her friend…”

“Olivia,” Amy advises.

“How do you know Lucy?” Jiya questions.

“Lucy’s marrying my brother,” Amy answers with a giggle.

“You’re getting married? Lucy, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Uh, it’s a little complicated,” she answers.

Jiya is about to pry more info out of Amy, when Lucy sees that the train is arriving at the station.

“Train!” she yells at them.

Amy hugs her goodbye and leaves the booth, with Olivia following.

“Lucy, are you pregnant?” Jiya questions.

“Yes, Jiya. I’m pregnant,” she responds sarcastically.

“Lucy!”

“You have to have sex in order to be pregnant,” she mutters almost unconsciously.

“But, I thought you’re engaged?” Jiya asks in confusion.

_Damn it. She screwed up. She needs to think fast or else the jig is up and she’s going to have to explain to her very normal friend what kind of a psycho she is. _

“We’re…waiting.”

“_Waiting_?” Jiya repeats in disbelief.

Jiya stares at her like she’s an alien from another planet and Lucy wants to crawl into a hole. She changes the subject as quickly as she can to Jiya’s New Year’s Eve party. 

** _Gabriel’s apartment_ **

The phone rings multiple times, the answering machine finally picking it up on the fifth ring.

“Gabriel, it’s Emma again. Is this machine working? I’m back in Chicago and quite frankly shocked that I haven’t heard from you. And, I want to see my cat!”

** _New Year’s Eve_ **

He’s at his parents’ house for dinner, since he promised his mother he’d make an appearance. He has no plans tonight and his mind wanders to what Lucy’s up to. Maybe she’d like some company this evening, if she doesn’t have other plans. _He should call her. Or, is it too forward to just stop by again?_

He’s debating what to do throughout the entire meal. After dinner, he’s sitting with the family in the living room when Amy burst through the front door with a huge smile on her face, giggling like a four-year old. 

“Everybody…Lucy’s pregnant!” she announces.

“Pregnant? Are you sure?” Maria questions.

“Well, that’s what Olivia said she overheard,” Amy answers with a shrug.

A second later he grabs his jacket and slips out the back door without saying another word to his family. He has to find out if this is true or not, he has to. He drives over to Lucy’s building, takes a deep breath and exits the truck.

As soon as he enters the building, he spies Wyatt knocking on her door with a ridiculously huge bouquet of flowers in his hand. He ducks back into the alcove of the first floor apartment, but he can still see and hear what’s going on above him.

“I could move in here. I bet Pops would knock fifty bucks off the rent,” Wyatt offers.

“I have six months left to live,” Lucy deadpans.

His mouth curves up in a half-smile. She sounds preposterous with her excuse, but he finds it utterly adorable.

“You’re just trying to make me feel better,” Wyatt replies with a sad, puppy dog frown. “It’s that other guy, isn’t it? I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

“How do I look at him?” she asks.

“Like you just saw your first mustang,” Wyatt responds with a bob of his head. “Here, take the flowers anyway.”

Lucy hugs Wyatt as he hands her the flowers, which gives Garcia the chance to slip outside. He’s pacing in front of his truck, debating if he dares confront her about the pregnancy and her and Gabriel’s relationship. He’s never been this torn up over a woman before. She drives him crazy, but in the best way possible. 

It doesn’t matter what his decision was going to be, because Lucy appears next to him a moment later, her arms clutching a bottle of champagne. 

“Garcia! What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you’re going out,” he answers, totally ignoring her first question.

“Yeah, my friend Jiya is having a party.”

He opens the passenger door to his truck and gestures for her to get in.

“Really, I can walk. It’s not that far,” Lucy argues.

“It’s cold out. I insist.”

Lucy reluctantly climbs into the truck and he shuts the door and jogs around to the driver’s side. Lucy wasn’t kidding when she said it wasn’t far. It turns out, her friend, Jiya, lives about six blocks away. He finds a place to park and for some unknown reason follows her up to the front door.

“What’s the matter with you tonight?” she asks him just as the front door opens.

Lucy steps inside and he follows suit.

“Hey everybody! Lucy and her fiancée are here,” Jiya announces to the throng of partygoers.

As soon as Jiya says it out loud, his first instinct is to bolt for the door, but Jiya is already removing his jacket. Lucy wanders over to one of the partygoers, leaving him on his own.

Lucy spies Rufus and practically grabs ahold of him the instant she steps foot into Jiya’s house.

“He looks really good for a guy that’s been in a coma,” Rufus comments.

“That’s not Gabriel, that’s Garcia.”

“Who’s Garcia?”

“Gabriel’s brother. We’ve been over this.”

“And, Gabriel’s the fiancée?”

Lucy nods in response.

“But, Gabriel doesn’t know you exist.”

“I know,” she answers.

“Lucy, they have doctors for this sort of thing,” Rufus advises, as he makes his way towards the food in the kitchen.

“Gabriel’s going to have a lot to deal with when he wakes up,” she hears a booming voice from behind her state.

She jumps a little since it startles her. She doesn’t turn around to see who it is, because she already knows. She grabs an empty cup next to the punch bowl and fills it to the brim.

“That’s spiked,” he warns.

“Thank God!”

“You shouldn’t have any.”

“Why not?” she asks.

“Because, it’s not good for the baby!” he shouts loudly.

Everyone at the party stares at her like she’s evil incarnate. Her face turns bright red and without another word, she grabs her coat and runs out the front door. He chases after her, apologizing profusely. By the time she gets back to her apartment building, she has lost all patience with him.

“It was just a misunderstanding…and on top of the Wyatt thing…”

“Excuse me? What Wyatt thing?”

“The leaning thing.”

“Because he gave me flowers?” she asks in confusion.

“And, then you leaned.”

“How did I lean?” she questions.

“Leaning…is a lot different than hugging. Hugging involves arms and hands.”

He is so close now they’re almost touching and she feels mesmerized by him. 

“Leaning is whole bodies moving in like this. Leaning involves wanting and accepting…”

She can smell his cologne now, which is another distraction, when she hears her name being called from across the courtyard.

“Hey, Luce, is this guy bothering you?” Wyatt asks, as he puffs out his chest.

“No. It’s okay, Wyatt.”

“Are you sure? It looks like he’s…leaning.”

“Thank you!” Garcia exclaims with vindication.

Lucy pulls back and inches closer to her door.

“So, what, you thought the only reason your brother would marry me is because I’m pregnant, right?”

“No. Fact is, you’re not really Gabriel’s type,” he answers, as he rubs his hand on the back of his neck.

“Whose type am I?”

“It’s a great idea, you and Gabriel, it’s just not obvious to the whole world,” he explains.

She’s truly disgusted right now. She thought he was different and he’s turning out to be just like every other guy. It’s a good thing she never confessed her feelings to him.

“You know what? I’ve had a really lousy Christmas, you just managed to kill my New Year’s. If you come back on Easter, you can burn down my apartment!” she yells.

“Lucy, I said I was sorry!”

She whirls on him with fury raging through her veins.

“What do you want from me?”

“I want you to not be unhappy,” he answers in an almost whisper.

“What are you the happiness guru? I don’t see you happy! You want to leave the family business, but are too afraid to tell your father. So, instead you stay in a job that makes you unhappy. Don’t lecture me.”

“What do you know about my family? Spending a week with them doesn’t make you an expert,” he barks.

“Spending a lifetime with them hasn’t made you one either!” she declares, as she enters her apartment building and slams the door behind her.

An hour later, the hospital calls her and tells her that Gabriel is awake. She knows the rest of the Flynn family got the same call and that they will be expecting her arrival shortly. She decides to take a cab to avoid the drunken idiots that will undoubtedly be mobbing the train now that midnight has come and gone.

She arrives at the hospital and the entire family is gathered in the waiting room, as the doctors finish their examination on Gabriel. The doctor finishes the exam and the entire family pours into the cubicle. She wants to run for the exits. Connor must be sensing this, because he grabs her arm and drags her into Gabriel’s cubicle. Gabriel is sitting up in his bed, his eyes wandering from person to person until he stops and stares at her.

“Who are you?” he asks.

“Stop joking around,” Maria chides.

“I’m not joking. I have no idea who that is.”

“It’s Lucy! Your fiancée,” Amy advises him.

“My what?”

“You don’t remember?” Maria questions with concern.

“He has amnesia!” Asher declares.

“Amnesia?”

Everyone turns and looks at the doctor.

“It’s possible. Some people do experience short-term amnesia after a head injury,” the doctor explains.

She feels awful and now everyone, including his doctor, thinks this poor man has amnesia when in reality Lucy has just been lying to everyone. The doctor rushes them all out of Gabriel’s room so that they can run some more tests. He suggests they all go home for the night. She has never been more relieved to be out of that place.

He can’t imagine how Lucy must feel. Gabriel is awake, which he’s sure she’s thrilled about, but he doesn’t remember her. _How can he not remember her? Lucy is not someone you forget._ He offers to drive her home from the hospital and she accepts. They’re not their normal talkative selves, but he chalks that up to the shock of the day. He is also well aware that this fairy tale he’s been living in for the past week is about to come to an end, but this prince will not wind up marrying the princess. Instead, he will lose her. He can’t exactly compare his brother to a fairy tale villain. Gabriel’s not _that_ bad. As he thinks some more about it, he knows he was wrong in his initial comparison. Gabriel is the prince in this analogy and he’s just the trusty sidekick. _Why would Lucy ever want him over Gabriel?_ Gabriel’s a successful attorney who has a fancy apartment with a doorman, an apartment in Paris, a luxury car and designer clothes. He works for his family’s estate furniture business, has a normal, cramped apartment in Chicago, an old pick-up truck and clothes that are definitely not designer. _No sane woman would pick him over his brother._

They arrive at her building faster than he expected. She pauses before she gets out and his heart skips a beat, desperately trying to hold onto that last shred of hope.

“Garcia, I just wanted to thank you and let you know that you’ve become a really good friend.”

“_Friend_,” he mumbles inadvertently.

She opens the door and exits the truck. She’s about to shut the door when his brain starts to function once again.

“Lucy, I’m sorry about before. I think you’ll be a terrific couple and I’m really glad you won’t have to be alone anymore.”

She smiles back at him, but it’s not a smile he’s seen on her before. It’s a sullen smile and he prays he didn’t strike a nerve, but he doesn’t get the chance to find out as Lucy shuts the door.

Connor watches as Gabriel spews off his birthdate, eighth grade locker combination and GPA from Northwestern University with ease. He hates to let his godson go through this. He can see the panic in Gabriel’s eyes that he can remember so much about his life, yet can’t remember a woman he’s supposed to marry.

He knows he shouldn’t be doing this, but someone needs to talk some sense into Gabriel before it’s too late. He asks if he can speak to his godson alone. Once the family clears out, he starts with small talk to build up rapport. He also needs a few minutes to dredge up the nerve to do what he’s about to. 

“You’re a prat,” Connor states with authority.

“Excuse me?” Gabriel retorts.

“You’re a prat,” he repeats. “Take it from an old prat. You don’t want to end up like me. I always thought there would be more time, more women to chase after. I never wanted to settle down either. It was the biggest mistake of my life. You’re about to make the same one.”

“Nice to see you too,” Gabriel answers sarcastically.

“You need to know something about Lucy.”

“What about Lucy?” Gabriel questions.

“Gabriel, she’s not only your fiancée, she saved your life!”

“Really?”

Connor nods his head in affirmation. 

“I know you don’t remember her, but I’m asking you to do your godfather a favor here. Look deeply into Lucy’s eyes. After two minutes, if you’re not in love with her, then break it off. _But_, if you see what it took the rest of us only seconds to see, you will propose to her on the spot for the second time and marry her before she has a chance to escape,” Connor advises.

He can tell his godson is thinking about it and he nods back a few minutes later. _He hopes this works._

_ _

Lucy needs to end this today. She’s carrying the bag of Gabriel’s belongings the hospital gave her. Maybe she can just leave it in the room, slip out and hide somewhere. As she enters the cubicle, Gabriel is wide awake and staring right at her.

“Hi!” he declares with a smile.

_That smile used to do dangerous things to her. But now, all she thinks about is another smile._

“Hi. I, um, brought your stuff back in case you needed anything.”

She hands him the bag of personal belongings and he thanks her.

“Please, sit down, would you?”

She takes a seat in the chair next to the bed.

“You do remind me of someone,” he states as he studies her face. “It’s probably _you!_”

She cringes slightly when he says this. She can’t keep doing this to him.

“How do you feel? You look a lot better than you did,” she states in an attempt to change the subject.

“I feel pretty good. They may move me to a step-down unit soon,” Gabriel replies.

“Oh, that’s great.”

“You’re obviously a very brave woman. My hero apparently.”

“That was…unusual for me. I saw you get pushed onto the tracks and I just reacted. Never done anything like that before and hope I never have to again,” she teases.

He laughs at her joke and smiles brightly back at her.

“I’ve never done anything truly heroic in my life,” he confesses.

“That’s not true. You give up your seat on the train every day.”

“That’s not heroic,” he responds with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“It is to the person who sits in it,” she counters.

They talk for a while, the tension slightly lessening by the time Lucy has to go. She knows she needs to tell him, but she chickens out once more.

_ _

He goes to visit Gabriel after finally having the guts to tell his father he wants out of the family business. He’s going into business for himself making furniture. He already has a ton of orders to get started on. To his surprise, his father is incredibly supportive and doesn’t understand his apprehension in telling him. It’s a huge weight off of his back and his conscious. _And, it’s all because of Lucy. _If she hadn’t yelled at him that he wasn’t happy either, he might never have had the courage to tell his father.

He decides he’s going to go and visit Gabriel, while his father handles some business. He sits in the chair, listening to Gabriel ramble on endlessly. An orderly comes and informs Gabriel he’s being moved downstairs to the step-down unit. The orderly assists Gabriel into the wheelchair and Garcia asks if he can wheel him to the elevator.

“What is wrong with you?” Garcia questions.

“Nothing. Everything’s better. Everything tastes better, feels better, looks better. I’m a changed man,” Gabriel professes.

Gabriel brings up Lucy and it makes his skin crawl. 

“She is…she is…what is she? She’s…” Gabriel stammers.

“I’d say she gets under your skin the second you meet her. She drives you so nuts you don’t know whether to hug her or arm wrestle her. She would go all the way to Europe just to get a stamp in her passport. I don’t know if that amounts to insanity or being really, really…likeable.”

Gabriel doesn’t even turn to glance in his direction.

“No, that’s not it. But she’s got to be really special. She’s got to be. And, I can spend the rest of my life finding out why,” Gabriel muses.

He can’t listen to this. He just can’t. He leaves his brother sitting in his wheelchair in front of the elevator and just walks away. Lucy deserves better.

_ _

Emma storms into Gabriel’s apartment building only to be stopped by the doorman.

“Excuse me miss, what apartment?”

“57G. I’m Gabriel Flynn’s fiancée.”

“You’re not his fiancée. I’ve met her.”

Emma is seeing red. How dare he! She storms back out and decides she’s going to pay the bastard a visit at his office. When she gets there, she finds out he’s been in the hospital, so she heads over there next. 

She is directed to the second floor. It takes her a while to find the room with the winding and twisting hallways. Finally, she spies the room number on the wall. She smooths out her white, designer suit and steps into the room with a purpose. She finds Gabriel sitting up in his hospital bed, chatting away with the man in the bed next to him.

“Emma!” he beams when he spies her.

“Scumbag!”

“Why am I a scumbag?” he asks with confusion.

“You’re _engaged?_ May I remind you that you proposed to me?”

“You said no and moved to Portugal,” Gabriel responds.

“Well…I didn’t think you’d go out and marry the first _bimbo_ you came across,” Emma shouts.

“Lucy’s not a bimbo.”

“Lucy? Lucy who?”

“I don’t remember. I was in a coma. I have amnesia.”

“Amnesia? Oh, that’s rich.”

“It’s true. I’m a changed man now.”

“Fine! Then, I want my stuff back!” Emma yells.

“Fine! I want my stuff back,” Gabriel retorts.

“What stuff?

“You’re nose. I paid for it,” he teases.

“You want these back too? You also paid for these!” she shrieks as she grabs her breasts.

She stomps out the door, almost knocking Nurse Jessica to the ground as she does.

_ _

Lucy makes her way to the hospital and finds Gabriel’s bed empty. She’s informed by the staff that he’s been moved to the second floor. As she steps off the elevator on the second level, she’s almost bowled over by a tall redhead. 

She finds the room and Gabriel looks truly happy to see her. Some of those initial feelings begin to creep up in her when she glances at him. She doesn’t want to let any of this go, this feeling of family and belonging. 

“Lucy, I need to talk to you,” he informs her, as he takes her hand in his.

“Okay.”

She has no idea what he’s about to say. _Does he know?_

“You were there when I needed someone the most. You gave me a second chance at life. It took a coma to wake me up. My family loves you. I might as well love you. Lucy Eleanor Preston, will you marry me?” Gabriel blurts out.

She doesn’t even get a chance to answer because Nurse Jessica faints in the hallway. She rushes to her, helping her up from the floor. Jessica assures her that she’ll be alright. She gently reminds Lucy that she hasn’t answered a question yet. Gabriel is still staring expectantly at her.

“Yes. I will marry you.”

_ _

Later that night, Lucy is in her apartment, the white dress she’s wearing for the wedding draped around her neck. She stares at herself in the mirror, lifting one foot and then the other, as she tries to decide which shoes to wear with the dress. Lincoln sits on the chair next to her, meowing at one pair in particular.

She hears a knock at her front door.

“I don’t want any flowers from you, I’m not wearing black underwear and I definitely don’t want to move in with you Wy-Garcia!” she exclaims as she opens the door.

“Well, I don’t have any flowers. I wouldn’t mind seeing you in black underwear, but under the circumstances I don’t think we should move in together,” he replies.

“I thought you were Wyatt,” she laughs.

“I get that a lot,” he deadpans.

She laughs even harder now and pulls the dress from around her neck. She’s hangs the dress back up in her closet and offers Garcia a seat.

“I came to give you an early wedding present,” he informs her, as he hands her a white box with a silver bow.

She pulls the lid off and picks up a beautiful snow globe of the city of Florence. Her mouth drops open and she holds the snow globe in her hands as if it’s the most precious cargo she’s ever held. A smile from ear to ear spreads across her face. They only spoke about Florence one time. _He remembered. He was actually paying attention to her and what she was saying._

“Thank you. It’s beautiful.”

He gets up suddenly and moves towards the door.

“Gabriel’s a lucky guy. I have to say that because you’re going to be my sister-in-law.”

“Ha, ha,” she chuckles.

He exits the door and is halfway down the stairs when she runs after him.

“Garcia!”

He whips around to gaze up at her.

“Can you give me _any_ reason why I shouldn’t marry your brother?”

He pauses for a second, then answers her. “I can’t.”

She nods her head and he flies down the stairs and out the door. She backs up into the apartment, shuts the door and slinks down to the floor. _Well, that answers that question. He doesn’t want her. She gave him the perfect opportunity to give her a reason and he said he couldn’t. _

_ _

The next day she goes into work. She slaps her wedding invitation on Rufus’ desk and turns to leave.

“What is this?” Rufus questions, as he holds the white envelope up.

“A wedding invitation,” Lucy responds.

“Lucy! This is your wedding invitation!”

“Yeah, so?”

“Whom are we marrying?” Rufus demands.

“Gabriel.”

“The coma guy?”

“Yes, the coma guy.”

“What happened with the other guy? The guy that came with you to Jiya’s for New Year’s.”

“He-he didn’t want me,” Lucy answers, as her voice quivers slightly.

“So, you’re gonna marry someone you don’t know? Lucy! That’s insane!”

“You know what Rufus? You’re right. I’m a raving nut because I agreed to marry a rich, handsome man. The men in white coats should come and take me right now!” Lucy bellows before she storms out of the office.

_ _

** _The Wedding Day_ **

He’s standing in the hospital’s chapel, donning his best suit, suppressing the urge to punch his brother in the face. 

“How do I look?” Gabriel asks.

“Fine!” he barks back.

A minute later, the music starts and he spots Lucy in her white dress walking down the small aisle. He can’t take his eyes off of her and if he’s not mistaken, she’s laser focused on him instead of Gabriel. His heart is pounding in his chest and he can’t breathe. 

Lucy and Gabriel face each other at the altar and the minister begins the ceremony.

“Dearly beloved-”

“I object!” Lucy declares.

“I object too,” he blurts out.

“What the hell is going on?” Asher roars.

Lucy spins around to face the wedding guests.

“I’m in love with your son.”

“I know!” Asher responds.

“Not that one, that one,” she states, as she points to him.

“Garcia! What the hell did you do?” Asher questions with indignation.

“He didn’t do anything, it was all me,” Lucy advises.

He can’t help the smirk that is spreading across his face. He can’t believe it. He’s still not convinced that he’s not dreaming. 

“Grandma, you doing okay?” Lucy asks.

“Someone needs to explain what is going on!” Asher yells.

“Okay, um-well that day at the hospital. A nu-someone told the doctor I was his fiancée and I wanted to know how he was doing and all. And, then everything happened so fast and I didn’t know how to tell you and then I didn’t want to tell you because I fell in love with you,” Lucy confesses.

“You fell in love with _me?_” Asher questions.

“No-yes, all of you. I went from being all alone in this world to being a fiancée, a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister and a friend. I didn’t want to give that sense of family and belonging up. The truth is, I was never engaged to Gabriel.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks with wide eyes.

“I didn’t know how,” she whispers back.

Suddenly, a redheaded woman storms into the hospital chapel. “I object!”

“Get in line,” the minister mutters.

“Gabriel Flynn is engaged to me!” the redhead screams.

“And, I object to her objection!” a man behind the redhead yells.

“Who is that?” Asher demands.

“Emma’s husband,” Gabriel replies.

“You proposed to a married woman?” Maria gasps in horror.

“You’re yelling at me? I was in a coma when my own brother made a play for my-my fiancée,” Gabriel complains.

He glances back over at Lucy and watches as she slips out the door. He is standing there frozen, unable to comprehend what just happened. This is a colossal mess, but it does have a silver lining. Lucy is not marrying Gabriel. He still has a chance.

_ _

He has not been able to stop thinking about her for the last two weeks. Everything is a complete mess, but the fact remains that she said she loves him. _Him!_ His brother is livid at first, but comes around a few days later. In fact, Gabriel’s the one who convinces him to go after her.

He calls her multiple times, but she doesn’t answer. He leaves more than a fair share of messages on her answering machine, but she doesn’t call him back. After two days, he goes by her apartment, but she doesn’t answer the door. He’s growing more desperate with each passing hour. _If he can only talk to her, tell her they can be together, they can work this out. _

He doesn’t sleep a wink that night. He’s running out of options, yet he refuses to give up. He goes by her work in the morning and Jiya informs him Lucy took some vacation days. There’s nothing he can do, so he proceeds to mope about for the entire week.

Finally, when he returns to his apartment late that Sunday evening, there’s a message on his answering machine from Lucy. She purposely called when she knew he’d be at his parents’ house for dinner. Her voice is the most melodious sound his ears have ever heard. She acknowledges his calls, but indicates she’s not ready to see him just yet. His heart sinks when he hears this, but the message continues and she informs him that they can talk on the phone. _Hope. There’s hope._

He wants to call her right now, but it’s already late and she probably has work early in the morning. So, he doesn’t sleep much again, but this time it’s because he’s too excited. He’s getting a second chance and he’s not going to blow it.

The first few conversations are short, more a catch up of the aftermath of the wedding that almost was. He insists to Lucy that everything is fine, his family still loves her, just like he still loves her. She’s unsure and he knows it’s going to take a while to convince her, but he’s more than willing to put in the time and effort. _Lucy’s worth it._

After a month of talking for hours every night, he finally gets her to admit that she still loves him. She’s afraid and she’s embarrassed by what she did, but he doesn’t care. No matter what he says, she just won’t believe him. So, he decides there’s only one thing left to do to try and convince her. _He has to go big._

_ _

** _Two Months Since the “Almost” Wedding_ **

“Last day, huh?” Jiya asks.

“Yep. Time to move on to something else. Too many memories here,” Lucy responds, as she swivels in her chair to face her.

“I’m sorry that things didn’t work out for you and that guy,” Jiya states with a frown.

“It’s probably for the best. He was too good for me anyway,” Lucy replies.

“Don’t say that Lucy! Have you talked to him?”

“Yes. He says that he and his family forgive me, but I’m pretty sure none of them ever want to hear from me ever again,” Lucy answers before she puts her head on her desk.

“You sure about that?” Jiya quips.

Lucy drags her head up from the desk. She stares at Jiya like she’s off her rocker. Jiya tilts her head towards the ticket window and Lucy goes back into work mode. She hears a ting in the token slot. She swivels her chair back around and almost falls out of it when she peers up at the ticket window. Garcia is standing there, the rest of the family Flynn flocking behind him, including Connor.

“Lucy, I need to ask you something. Can I come back there?”

She glances down at the token slot and spies a diamond ring. _She must be dreaming. There is no way this is happening. Could he truly be about to propose?_

“Can I?” he repeats.

“I can’t,” she replies.

His entire face sags in despair, until she adds, “Not without a token.”

He gazes down at her and his frown slowly morphs into a crooked smile. He flips a token into the slot, grabs the ring and pushes through the turnstile.

“Get down on one knee. It’s more romantic,” Grandma hollers.

“He’s the one proposing. Let him do it!” Connor barks back.

“I _am_ letting him do it!” Grandma retorts.

He enters the tollbooth and gets down on one knee in front of her. She can’t even stand right now, total shock coursing through her body at lightning speed. _Someone pinch or slap her right now._

“Marry me?” he asks in an almost-whisper.

“Yes,” she blurts out, as tears fall from her eyes.

He slips the ring onto her finger, then brings her hand to his lips and kisses it softly.

“I love you, Lucy.”

“I love you too.”

He leans in and she tilts her head up to get a better angle as their lips come together for the first time (Lucy does not consider that mistletoe kiss a _real_ first kiss). It’s the best kiss of her life, soft and slow, yet passionate and deep. She is most assuredly a patient in a mental institution having a delusion right now. She just agreed to marry a man she’s never even properly kissed before. But, if this is a delusion, she wants to stay in it for the rest of her days. 

_ _

Her father was right. Life doesn’t always turn out how you planned. She had planned to marry Gabriel, but wound up marrying Garcia instead. She can still remember seeing him in that tuxedo, looking like he was the next James Bond. Instead of the hospital chapel wedding she planned, she had a wedding in an actual church, with a beautiful wedding gown, not just a white dress. The best part was that Garcia took her to Florence for their honeymoon. She got her passport stamp, but more importantly, she got to marry her best friend and love of her life. 

Surprisingly, (or maybe not, now that Lucy knows them better), the Flynn family found the entire story surrounding Lucy becoming one of them quite quaint. Gabriel forgave Garcia pretty soon after the wedding that never was. She even became friends with Gabriel. He once asked her when she fell in love with Garcia. She told him the truth.

“It was while you were off in silent slumber.”


End file.
